Electric lantern



May 24, 1938. H o. PUTT ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed Sept. 5, 1955 Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC LANTERN Application September 5, 1935, Serial No. 39,229

4 Claims.

The invention relates to lanterns especially adapted for use in railroad service; its object being to provide an improved circuit system and an improved circuit controlling switch.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of the lantern;

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2, showing a modified form of the lantern shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the switch plate of the lantern.

The lantern comprises a body portion which constitutes a casing for a battery 21, and has a bottom or end wall 22. Sleeved over this end of the casing is a skirt 23 which may be secured to the casing by screws or the like 24 setting in the casing end wall 22, and a bead 25 may be provided on the casing to limit the position of the skirt on the casing.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3 the skirt carries an end plate 26 in which is mounted a pair of sockets 21, each insulated from the plate 26 as by a non-conducting bushing. These sockets are of conducting material and are adapted to receive incandescent lamps 28 of the center and rim contact type.

A pair of battery terminals 29, are associated with the casing. The terminal 29 is arranged to ground one pole of the battery on the casing, as by engaging the casing bottom 22, and the terminal 30 is insulated from the casing, being connected directly with a central contact 3 I mounted in an insulating bushing in the casing end 22 and electrically connected with the center contacts of the lamps 28 as by a spring contact piece 32.

To keep spring contact 32 out of short-circuiting engagement with the lamp sockets 21 when either lamp is absent from its socket, the sockets may carry protective insulation, as for example the non-conducting ring 33 which in the illustrated embodiment is shown seated in an upper enlargement of each socket.

It will be obvious from the foregoing explanation that the lamps will be energized by grounding their sockets on the casing or on some metallic part in electrical connection therewith, as for example the skirt 23 or plate 26. This grounding may be accomplished by a switch mechanism which will now be described.

The switch mechanism comprises a V-shaped element 34 of spring metal carried by a slide plate 35 which engages the inner face of the skirt 23 and carries a stud 36 which projects through an arcuate slot in the skirt and secures the switch element to the slide plate. The arms 31, 38 of the V-shaped element project inwardly from the stud 36 and each bears laterally against one of a pair of posts 39, 40 which rise from the plate 26 and straddle, but are normally spaced from, the inner end portions of the pair of sockets 21, 21.

Shifting of the slide plate 35 to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 brings the arm 31 of the V-shaped switch element into sliding or wiping engagement with the side wall of the inner end of the lefthand lamp socket 21 and thus closes the circuit, connecting that socket with battery terminal 29. Shifting the slide plate 35 to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 similarly energizes the righthand lamp by grounding its socket 21 on arm 38 and thus electrically connecting this socket with battery terminal 29. This wiping engagement of the respective arms with their cooperating sockets tends to keep the contacts clean.

The switch mechanism may rest in any of three positions. As shown in Fig. 2 the stud 36 is in its central position, neither arm 31 nor 38 being engaged with its cooperating socket. The switch mechanism may be moved to either of its endmost positions, to engage one of the arms with its cooperating socket. For the purpose of holding the switch mechanism in any of its three positions there is provided a spring plate 41 carried by the stud 36 and having instanding arms for engaging serpentine flanges 42 projecting upwardly from plate 26 and having three convolutions corresponding to the three positions of the switch mechanism.

The V-shaped element may be used in lanterns having a single bulb. A bottom plate 43 is shown in Fig. 5 which is arranged to mount a single socket. Its posts 44 and 45 straddle this socket in much the same manner as the posts 39 and 40 straddle the pair of sockets 21, 21, and the arms 46, 41 react against these posts and are flexed into sliding or wiping contact with the single socket 48 as has been explained in the. description of the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3. That is to say, shifting of the stud 36 of Fig. 4 to either extreme will bring one of the arms 46, 41 into the described kind of contact with socket 48 and thus establish electrical connection between the socket and battery terminal 28.

The bottom plates 26 and 43 may have struck up legs 49 for spacing the bottom plate from the casing end and for assisting in making good contact therewith.

The casing may include conventional appurtenances like the lamp guard and the handle 5|, both shown in Fig. 1.

The disclosed embodiments of the invention are highly efl'icient, simple of construction and operation, and durable. The invention may, however, be differently embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an electric lantern having an electric circuit, a pair of incandescent bulbs of the center and rim contact type in the circuit, adjacent sockets for such bulbs, and spring terminal means in one branch of the circuit in contact with the center terminals of the bulbs, the combination of a V-shaped switch element of elastic metal straddling the sockets and normally spaced from both, a pair of stops limiting the spreading of the arms of the V-shaped switch element and slidably engaged thereby, one located intermediate of the ends of each arm, and a slide element in the circuit and attached to the apex of the switch element for moving the switch to bias one of the arms thereof, by the reaction of one of said stops against said arm, into wiping contact with one of said sockets.

2. In an electric lantern having a battery casing, an electric circuit including a portion of the casing, and a lamp socket having a rim contact, the combination of a V-shaped switch element of flexible elastic material straddling the socket, a

slide element attached to the switch element and carried by the casing, and positive stops slidably engageable by the outer faces of the switch arms intermediate of their ends and adapted to bias the switch element into wiping contact with the socket when the slide element is moved.

3. In an electric lantern having a battery casing, an electric circuit including a portion of the casing, and a pair of adjacent lamp sockets each having a rim contact, the combination of a V- shaped switch element of flexible elastic material straddling the two sockets, a slide element carried by the casing and attached to the apex of the switch element, and a pair of fixed stops slidably engageable by the outer faces of the switch arms intermediate of their ends and adapted to bias the switch element into wiping contact with the socket when the slide element is moved.

4. In an electric lantern having a circular casing, an electric circuit, an incandescent lamp in the circuit, and a reciprocable slide element movable circumferentially of the casing, th combination of a flexible arm carried by the slide and projecting inwardly as to the casing and being included in the circuit, and an abutment spaced inwardly from the casing and adapted to be slidably engaged by an intermediate part of the arm and deflect the arm into wiping electrical connection with one of the lamp terminals upon movement of the slide in one direction.

HARLIE O. PUTT. 

